CDC Raises Measles Death Count Again; MAHA Summit Takeaways; Kennedy’s Vax AI Plans

The CDC has updated its measles death tally to two, but it remains shy of the four deaths reported by Pennsylvania. (The Hill)

The agency has lost more employees during the second Trump administration than previously reported. A new analysis puts the loss at about 30%, up from 25%. (New York Times)

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. bashed doctors during the MAHA summit on Tuesday, claiming artificial intelligence (AI) can deliver better medical care. (New York Times)

And here are some other takeaways from the summit. (The Hill)

Kennedy also said during a MAHA Institute event earlier this week that he wants to collect Americans’ health and lifestyle data and feed it to AI so it can search for links between vaccines and health outcomes. (The Guardian)

President Donald Trump can’t withhold more than $800 million in spending — including a large portion of health spending — that was already approved by Congress, the Government Accountability Office said. (AP)

A group of providers and Medicaid patients has sued HHS and CMS over the Trump administration’s new Medicaid work requirements, saying the exemptions for frail patients are too narrow and would unfairly throw people off the program. (Healthcare Dive)

The White House scrapped its effort to politicize health research grants. (Politico)

The American Medical Association asked Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to exempt physicians from a proposed rule that would charge employers more than $100,000 for an H-1B visa for an immigrant employee.

A group of Democratic senators is asking the Trump administration to explain why it delayed making COVID vaccines available under the Vaccines for Children program. (The Hill)

The NIH released a new tool for researchers to see if their work has been replicated in other trials. (Science)

The pharmaceutical lobby has a new leader: former congressman Eric Cantor. (Reuters via AOL)

When it comes to views on vaccines, HHS aides say they differ from their boss. (Politico)

Meanwhile, Kennedy’s efforts to change what Americans eat is getting pushback from the White House. (Wall Street Journal)

The Veterans Administration is now requiring patients to sign consent forms before they receive certain psychiatric medications. (New York Times)

HHS awarded $250 million for programs to expand access to addiction treatment, overdose prevention, and mental health services.